New Study Shows Increased Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment After...
A new study by the Health Care Cost Institute shows that access to hospital inpatient substance use disorder treatment was up by 19.5% in 2011. Other findings of note include: inpatient substance use...
View ArticleMoney to Enforce Federal Parity Law Included in President Obama’s Proposed...
As Secretary Sebelius stated in her recent key note address at the National Council of Community Behavioral Health Providers, President Obama is committed to releasing final regulations for the Mental...
View ArticleConnecticut Toolkit will Assist Mental Health Consumers File Insurance Claims
In response to much discussion about the rate of denials for mental health treatment, the Connecticut Insurance Department will release a guide for mental health consumers to assist them in filing...
View ArticleStill Waiting on Final Parity Regulations
Senator Al Franken continues to push the Obama Administration to issue final parity regulations. While the Administration has released guidance in the last few months instructing State Medicaid...
View ArticlePsychiatrist File Suit Against Anthem Well Point for Parity Violations
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION American Psychiatric Association and Others Seek Court’s Intervention in Compelling Anthem and Wellpoint to End Alleged Discrimination Against...
View ArticleGetting Involved With Health Care Reform In Maryland
There a many ways to get involved in Maryland’s implementation of Health Care Reform. Apply to be a member of an advisory committee. Maryland Health Benefit Exchange will establish a standing advisory...
View ArticleConnecticut Passes Mental Health Parity Legislation as Part of Larger Gun...
Sections 70 and 79 of Connecticut’s recently passed gun control legislation, SB 1160, addresses issues with insurers not providing adequate coverage for mental health treatment. Some Connecticut...
View ArticleParity in the Spring Time
SAMSHA data predicts that substance use disorder treatment will be the most needed behavioral health benefit for individuals who qualify for tax subsidies as they enroll into an Exchange plan. As many...
View ArticleFirst Parity Court Ruling in Favor of the MH/SUD Consumer
On May 2, 2013 the United States District Court in Vermont issued the first ruling in the country on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. While the Court has not yet issued a final...
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Governor O’Malley Signs Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity...
On May 2, Governor O’Malley signed into law two pieces of legislation that will better enable the Maryland Insurance Administration to fully enforce the federal parity law and better allow consumers...
View ArticleNew Jersey Holds Parity Field Hearing
Guest Post by Carol McDaid, Co-chair Parity Implementation Coalition On Tuesday June 11th, a parity field hearing was convened at Stockton College in Galloway, NJ. The hearing was sponsored by NCADD...
View ArticleParity in the ACA Around the States
The mental health parity provisions in the Affordable Care Act are critical for consumers in Michigan, one of only seven states with no state parity law. Michigan recently passed a law mandating...
View ArticleInsurer in CA Faces Steep Fines for Violation of State Parity Law
The HMO, Kaiser Permanente was recently fined $4m by the State of California for violating California mental health parity law. The fine, the second largest in California history, was in response to...
View ArticleWatch Maryland Specific Health Care Reform Webinar
Presented by NAMI-Maryland: Health Care Reform: A Promise of Affordable Access to Quality Care Speakers: Leni Preston, Chair of the Maryland Women’s Coalition for Health Care Reform Adrienne Ellis,...
View ArticleWhite House Progress Report on Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence
On June 18, the White House released a progress report detailing the progress they have made on the 25 Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence that President Obama announced in January. Of note in the...
View ArticleFinal Medicaid Eligibilty Rule Addresses Mental Health Parity
On July 5th, CMS issued the final rule relating to the eligibility and enrollment for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan. You can see the entire 600 page rule Here, but some points of...
View ArticleAffordable Care Act Will Improve Access to Behavioral Health Care-Won’t Fix...
Many people will have better access to comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder treatment in January of 2014 when all the provisions of the Affordable Care Act go into effect. BUT as...
View ArticleParity Round Up Around the States
As detailed in the Burlington Free Press, The American Psychiatric Association and the Vermont Psychiatric Association sent letter of complaint to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont alleging that the...
View ArticleFinal Parity Regulations Promised but States are Tired of Waiting
Representative Patrick Kennedy, a tireless parity advocate, has been urging the Obama Administration to issue the final regulations for the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act so that it...
View ArticleInsured Marylanders Have a Right to Appointments with Mental Health Providers...
Adequate Network Requirement Maryland law Insurance Article Section 15-830 (d) requires insurance companies operating in Maryland to provide an adequate network of providers, including mental health...
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